The present invention relates to a knitting machine which has a bed with knitting implements mounted displaceably therein and each having at least one operating butt and at least one first pivotable control butt, and a patterning arrangement which includes a cam and a selector means. The cam includes knitting, tuck and non-knitting tracks for the operating and control butts. The tracks are formed by cam members disposed in superposed relationship. The selector means includes a first and a second control means.
Numerous patterning devices are already known for carrying out what is known as the three-way procedure, that is to say any desired selection of all knitting implements for knitting, tuck and non-knitting on a knitting system. The patterning devices essentially comprise cam members forming knitting, tuck and non-knitting tracks and mechanical, electronic or electromagnetic control means, by means of which the knitting implements are distributed to those tracks.
A known knitting machine (German laid-open application (DE-OS) Nos 19 52 827 and 35 37 679) is not very suitable for very high-speed knitting machines and in particular high-output circular knitting machines. In addition it makes it impossible to provide for continuous positive guidance of all the knitting implements involved and therefore promotes the occurrence of damage caused by the uncontrollable impingement of the butts on projecting edges of the cam members.
Another known patterning arrangement which is suitable for the three-way procedure (German laid-open application (DE-OS) No 37 39 924), provides that the width of the system is almost doubled, and the knitting implements cannot be positively guided.
Finally it is already known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,740) to carry out the three-way procedure with knitting needles which are practically continuously positively guided but which must have an operating butt and four pivotable control butts. That means that the knitting needles are of a comparatively great overall length and are not suitable as rib needles for circular knitting machines.